![]() Endospores may survive boiling for hours. Most vegetative cells are killed by temperatures greater than 70 oC. There is concern that anthrax endospores might be used in biological warfare as they are easily spread through the air.Įndospores are a unique problem for the food industry since they are resistant to the heating processes that readily kill vegetative cells. Persons who handle animals, hides, wool and other animal products are at special risk. Bacillus anthracis is the pathogen responsible for anthrax, a disease found in goats, cattle, and sheep which can be transmitted to humans. Some species of Bacillusand Clostridium are pathogenic for humans, livestock and wildlife. The presence of Bacillus in dust accounts for the fact that organisms in the genus Bacillus are common laboratory contaminants. These bacteria are commonly found in the soil and in the lower intestinal tract of humans and animals. Two medically important bacteria that produce endospores are Bacillus and Clostridium. A single endospore reverts to one vegetative cell during germination. Unlike the reproductive spores of fungi and plants, sporogenesis in bacteria is NOT a means of reproduction. Germination is normally induced by physical or chemical damage to the coat of the endospore. When an endospore reverts to a vegetative cell (metabolically active, replicating cell), the process is termed germination. The process of sporogenesis (the formation of endospores within a vegetative cell) is reversible. ![]() DNA repair enzymes contained within the endospore can repair damaged DNA during germination.Water is removed from the interior of the endospore and the resulting dehydration is thought to be important in the endospore’s resistance to heat and radiation. ![]()
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